A Very Merry Unbirthday

Text by: Novan Komintas

One of my pleasant perspectives of life is that people can connect with each other through commonality. I am a stern believer in the universal language of good food and sufficient nap time. But among the many people of our home planet, there is one special institution shared, individually and hopefully with people dear to us: a birthday! All persons that have completed the Great Race, and subsequent Great Gestation, have had the experience of a birthday. The definition of a birthday we'll leave to the experts, as they continue to debate whether it constitutes just the day one was born, or if it also includes the subsequent annual celebrations of that day. Regardless of this difference, one quality any birthday has is that it must end at some point.

So as my birthday passes each year, all I am left with to do is celebrate my Unbirthday today, an Unbirthday tomorrow, and an Unbirthday the day after tomorrow's tomorrow's yesterday. I would like to say I can remember all those wonderful Unbirthday celebrations, but alas, there are far too many to recollect in one article. But like a passing smile that briefly brightened a minute of a day, a long ago hug that feels as warm and snug as it did when it was received, an Unbirthday can never be fully relived again, yet I always feel its effects on my life, whether I consciously acknowledge it or not.

They say too much of a good thing is a bad thing. By normal constraints, this holds true. But I like to think that if one could appreciate and love all of the good things one has, perhaps having so many good things may not be so terrible as is said. With Unbirthdays then, with so many celebrations of one's Unbirthday, I think there is an exception to the rule of thumb. For what is an Unbirthday but a day that is not one's birthday? Very little else to be honest; not even Mr. Hatter could expound on the simplicity of the concept! But for all its curtness of description, an Unbirthday celebration can be just as wonderful as any old birthday celebration ever was. For if you can celebrate your Unbirthday, you can celebrate another day of life bestowed upon you on your birthday. And what more reason does one need to celebrate than still being alive to celebrate being alive?

A life is granted on your birthday; it's the mandatory gift with a blood red ribbon attached and slightly grimy wrapping from the grand masquerade party. What is done with this gift is up to the receiver. Some decide to hide it away for fear of someone stealing it from them, some decide it wasn't what they wanted and throw it away, some decide to selflessly give it to another person, and some decide to sell it for something else. Sometimes the present is stolen from you, sometimes it is accidentally dropped and broken, sometimes it can be repaired (usually never to its original form), or perhaps worst of all, sometimes someone outright destroys the gift out of spite, jealousy, or any number of perverse reasons. But for all these outcomes for one's gift, this one gift we are given can be used with great utility at each and every Unbirthday we have. And with every Unbirthday celebrated, we continue to receive that one gift again to use for the next Unbirthday party. It is always nice to have at least one present to open on the table. True, receiving the same gift over and over does cause it to become stale over time. Yet with such a gift, and with the right heart and mind to use it, the possibilities this one gift can become are endless and boundless with potential.

And so I bid everyone to celebrate their Unbirthdays as often as they can. They are parties for you whenever you feel like it. They're made better with the friends who can celebrate it with you, and can create some of the most unforgettable memories you will ever have. There are countless candles on the Unbirthday cake to blow out and make your dreams come true. The Unbirthday is a celebration of you, your life, your being still making it through this ever entropic life. And if you cannot celebrate your own Unbirthday or choose not to, I strongly urge you to help make someone else's Unbirthday party more grand for them, even if only a little bit. Cheers to all, and I wish everyone who reads this, A Very Merry Unbirthday!